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Zeal without Burnout

Slogging through 70-80 hour work weeks, feeling the
weight of disapproval from the congregants, getting not much in the way of
rest, all these things lead to spiritual burnout for pastors. Yet, as Christopher Ash begins his book
called Zeal without Burnout, he writes, “For many of us there is a
different path. One that combines
passionate zeal for Jesus with plodding faithfully on year after year. I want to write about this path (14).” Having twice come to the edge of burnout in
ministry, Christopher is no stranger to these issues.

One of the first sections of the book is devoted to
sacrifice. Ash writes, “There is a
difference between godly sacrifice and needless burnout…You and I came from
dust and our bodies will return to dust.
At no point in our lives in this age are we far away from reverting to
dust. We are very fragile (24, 37).” To
sacrifice in a sustainable way we need to be keenly aware of our limitedness
and fragility. Sleep, Sabbath, friends
and food are all things we need but that God does not. Constantly bearing witness to ourselves about
our fragility and dust(ness) is healthy and a sobering reminder that we tire
and wear out, that are bodies are not meant for 24 hour work mode.

The celebrity of ministry can be a major cause of
burnout for many. In fact, the mere
exponential growth of some congregations can produce an amazing amount of pride
in some, but also the feeling of success.
After Denis told his story about celebrity burnout, he offered four
things that might help others; focus on the Lord’s definition of success, seek
help from a mature Christian friend, share the load, and don’t neglect you
spiritual, physical, and mental health (93).
The size of our congregations can’t bring out the reason why we do
ministry nor sustain our bodies. Rather,
loving God and the people in church involves breaking away from a lone ranger
mentality.

This is a truly great book, one which people in ministry
and in the culture should read.

Thanks to Cross Focused Reviews and the goodbook company
for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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About Me

My name is Spencer Cummins. I have a wonderful wife and a sweet daughter. I live in O'Fallon, Missouri and serve at Grace PCA of St. Charles County. My passions are reading, writing, playing with family. My hope is that this blog will ignite a desire to serve Christ and to think biblically and theologically about God and his world.